Historically Yours columnist Liz Davis has decided to help the Boonslick Regional Library with a fundraising effort that includes both her time and blog. Almost five years ago Davis began writing a weekly column on Civil War history in preparation of the sesquicentennial of the First Battle of Boonville. When the Boonville Daily News began offering blogging ,Davis jumped on board and began doing daily blogs about history.

Davis got involved in the new library building project while doing her column research and decided to use her writing to benefit the library.

"I soon realized many of my readers did not surf the net. I decided to print the previous month's blogs as a newsletter. Due to the high costs of postage, however, I decided it would be less expensive to distribute the newsletter for free throughout Boonville at local stores. Ret Thomas of Carrie Lyn's Ice Cream Parlor thought it was such a great idea that he offered to put a jar on the Ice Cream Parlor's counter for collecting funds for the building project." Davis stated.

With the help of the Boonville Friends of the Library, collection jars began appearing around town in January. The jars are titled 'Building for the Future', with funds going toward the building fund.

"I've already placed a dozen collection jars around Boonville and one north of the river in Howard County. Four other locations have agreed to place a collection jar on their counter." Davis stated.

During the first week of the month Davis will be placing her newsletters at each collection jar location.

Davis said a physical library is needed more than ever.

"Contrary to what many people think, books and libraries are not a thing of the past. They have changed, certainly, but they will always be needed. Printed books have been around for hundreds of years and are just as readable as they were then. Today we have audio books that are playable on numerous devices. As technology changes, so do the devices and soon we have "books" we can't listen to because the device has worn out and can not be replaced. The same goes for computers. We went from floppies, to CDs, to flashdrives, and to whatever has come out in the last few months. I think books will be around long after this current wave of technology. In the meantime, not all homes are equipped with computers or other types of e-readers or listening devices. Libraries can provide these items for use on the promises or as a check-out item much as books used to be." Davis stated.

Director of the Boonslick Regional Library District Linda Allcorn said Davis has been a tremendous supporter of the library.

"We are very fortunate to have her taking a lead on this fundraiser," Allcorn said.

Page 2 of 2 - "The world is changing. The way we share and store information is also changing. Shouldn't Boonville do everything it can to preserve the past and prepare for the future?" Davis stated.

To find out more about the library building project or to have a collection jar placed, contact the library at 660-882-5864.